Peek-A-Boo Barn is a kids app classic. It is a very simple starter app that allows kids to explore a barn by tapping to see what’s inside (they’ll hear it first, if they’re patient). Best for picky kids under age 3.

Older toddlers and pre-K kids will have fun learning letters and number with Alien Buddies. The plethora of game levels will be challenging for less-experienced players to navigate. Best for picky kids ages 3-5.

Animals and trains are crowd-pleasers in this collection of four activities (puzzles, spelling, track-building and music). We like this app, but find some of the games repetitive. Best for picky kids ages 2-4.

Learn to count by guiding adorable bees to flowers to fill up a honey bear! This app’s drawbacks are its speed (too slow) and that it tops out at counting to 20 (though you can do it in 8 languages). Best for kids ages 2 and under.

This game is highly interactive, but limited because there are only three screens to explore. It includes some natural history lessons and some counting practice. Be prepared to hear the Itsy Bitsy Spider song over and over and over… Best for kids ages 2-3.

For kids who like drag-n-drop puzzles, Stack N’ Puzzles offers a new range of challenges and vocabulary. Its biggest drawback is that some scenes seem scary to younger children. Best for not-so-picky kids ages 3-4.

Design issues and clunky animation hold this app back. The story is more appropriate for school-aged children than for preschoolers, and we’d give it better marks if Nora tried harder to help herself out of her bad mood. Best for not-so-picky kids ages 4-5.

Mildly annoying, and mildly amusing… but there’s no significant learning happening in this app, in which you control plastic-looking blobs by tapping, sliding, and speaking to them. Not recommended, but appropriate for not-so-picky kids around 2 years old.

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